Dangerous Panamericana

The Carrera Panamericana was a border-to-border sedan rallye event on open roads in Mexico, similar in concept to the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio in Italy. Running for five consecutive years, from 1950 to 1954, it was widely considered to be the most dangerous race of any type in the world.

Picture above: French ace Jean Behra participated in the 1953 Carrera Panamericana in this Gordini T24S, entered by the ‘Club Francia Amigos de la Panamericana’ and sponsored by Dubonnet, a French liquor producer. He did not finish the race.

The 1953 running was the bloodiest year of the Carrera Panamericana. Lancia had entered three 3.3 litre D24s for Felice Bonetto, Juan Manuel Fangio and Piero Taruffi.

Bonetto, who was leading, but under pressure from Taruffi, entering the village of Silao, he encountered a dip in the pavement at excessive speed and crashed into a building, killing him instantly. In addition to Bonetto’s death, eight other people were killed in unrelated accidents, including an incident where 6 spectators were killed by a flipping car. The race was won by Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina in a Lancia D24S (picture below).